


of all things, cereal

by skintouch



Series: skin touch [2]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Banter, First Love, M/M, abrupt ending cuz im evil haha, haha also im excited for dream comeback so heres my contribution to the fandom!, i just like noren okay, just really dramatic renjun, markmin if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-04-21
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:53:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23773393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skintouch/pseuds/skintouch
Summary: jeno couldn’t have said it any other time. His gut instinct, the one that was consistently stupid, just told him this is it.alternatively: jeno says he loves him. for the very first time.
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Lee Jeno, Mark Lee/Na Jaemin
Series: skin touch [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1545925
Comments: 1
Kudos: 35





	of all things, cereal

They were fighting over cereal.

It was a lazy Sunday afternoon, a typical one where Jeno decided to come over Renjun’s dorm, to his roommate Chenle’s dismay.  _ “Keep it down! My friends can hear you over the mic!” _ His roommate was quite a gamer, you see. Jeno was leaning on the breakfast bar and Renjun was on the couch, picking the perfect movie to pass time while munching on his Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Like the clean freak that he is, he’s laid a towel over his pillow and under his head to catch the bits of cereal that doesn’t make its way into his mouth.

Renjun notices he’s ran out of cereal  _ and  _ milk, so he quickly yells (yes _ , yells,  _ even though Jeno was less than 2 meters from him, also actively judging the limited movie selection available on the screen) for Jeno to come get him the milk and Cinnamon Toast Crunch next to the younger boy.

“Can’t you get it yourself?” Jeno whines. “I’m not your butler you know.”

“It’s literally next to you, dummy. Go,” The older boy hears Jeno mumble a small “ _ wait _ ,” and the sound of milk pouring into the cereal bowl  _ then  _ the sound of cereal being poured. Renjun almost snaps his head once he realizes what Jeno’s just done.

He almost couldn’t believe his eyes. His boyfriend of four months (and best friend for almost a year!) was one of  _ those _ , and he had no idea up until now. “Jeno, what the  _ fuck _ are you doing?”

“What?”

“Did you just- Milk- Wait-” It seemed like Renjun wasn’t the first one of Jeno’s extensive (not really) list of people he cares about that has this exact reaction to such a mundane thing. To Jeno, it might have just been a different order of putting things in a bowl, but to Renjun, it was a big enough of a deal that he was considering having an actual serious talk about how Jeno is like  _ as a person _ . He just couldn't wrap his head around it. When they met, Renjun just felt it in his heart that this was the one, and so he never let go of him since. Sure it was a couple of months of them playing hide and seek with their feelings, excusing obviously couple-y things they’ve done with  _ he’s my best friend! of course it wasn’t romantic!  _ \- but Renjun knew from first glance that no one was ever going to be better for him than Lee Jeno.

_ But people had a habit of disappointing you,  _ Renjun thinks. Jeno hasn’t said a word, he just sneered when he saw Renjun struggling for words, and proceeded to hand him the milk and cereal when Renjun was seated on the couch, mouth hanging open, brows furrowed and mind completely covered in a cloud of confusion and somehow-  _ betrayal? _

Like the asshole that he is, Jeno didn’t say anything but rather just continued eating his cereal, urging Renjun to quickly choose a movie already. But Renjun got up from the couch, making his way to the breakfast bar (where Jeno was) with his cereal bowl on one hand, the carton of milk in another and lastly the cereal box, tucked under his armpit.

“Lee Jeno, we need to talk about this.”

Jeno laughs, maybe from the sheer ridiculousness of it all- his boyfriend just walked over to him with the cutest  _ mad _ expression on his face, his hands full of cereal, dressed in cute striped blue pajamas and white ankle socks (his feet get cold fast). He couldn’t help it. Renjun sets down the milk carton and cereal box in front of him, “Did you just pour milk first before your cereal?”

To Renjun’s surprise, Jeno admitted it quite quickly. Jeno nods and goes back to eating his cereal as he was used to this reaction. His best friends Jaemin and Minhyung found out on separate occasions so he was used to the initial shock, but he made them accept it and even converted Minhyung to a milk before cereal guy, but only behind closed doors- he said Jaemin couldn’t know about it or else their relationship would be over. To which Jeno responded with:  _ you're so dramatic,  _ in verbatim.  _ Whose relationship would end over this decades long milk and cereal debate? _

“I knew you were too good to be true. I knew you had a flaw, Lee Jeno, but I didn’t think it would be this bad.” Renjun almost raps, his voice menacing to anyone but Jeno, who still thinks he’s kidding.

“I have lots of flaws babe, you know that.”

“Yeah, I  _ just _ found out!” He begins pacing from the small space between the kitchen and the breakfast bar, and when he turns to Jeno his lips are in a thin line, face serious. “I think- I think this is too big of a flaw, Jeno.”

He’s kidding, Jeno knows he is. It’s just how Renjun is sometimes, another one of the million reasons why Jeno likes him a lot. At this moment though, Jeno’s afraid Renjun’s eyeballs will fly out of his head. “Didn’t you know it’s a sign of insanity! You naturally  _ defy  _ how things are supposed to be! When you’re a Taurus, love!”

Like the expressive guy that he is, Renjun's hands point from Jeno, to himself to the room and lastly, they land on his own head, where Jeno sees he grips his scalp just a little out of frustration. It’s  _ cute _ .

“Holy shit,” At that moment Jeno considers telling Renjun he’d change the way he ate his cereal from now on in order to calm him down, and then eat it the way he normally does whenever he’s with Minhyung. Like some top secret shit. But- “did you just tell me I’m insane?”

“That’s not what I meant, baby,” Renjun slowly walks back to Jeno and grabs his hand, and Jeno notices his hands are clammy. “But it’s a sign?”

He was getting softer now, like Renjun genuinely didn’t mean to hurt Jeno, and all Jeno wants is to reassure him that he didn’t. So he does just that, he turns Renjun around and back hugs him, his arms crossing over his chest, Renjun’s hands still on his. His lips are so close to Renjun’s ear as he whispers, “Is it?”

For a moment Jeno ponders whether he should say it or not. One brain cell of his says  _ it’s cheesy as hell  _ and another brain cell says  _ fuck it, you can be cheesy sometimes. _ Especially to your boyfriend right? Your boyfriend who does everything so perfectly, arts, academics, even sports (he works out thrice a week now!). Your boyfriend who can fit in your pocket, that’s how cute and small he is, that sometimes you just want to scream in his face- why are you so cute, Huang Renjun! Your boyfriend who lets you come over whenever you want to because you claim there’s no food over at your dorm even though your roommate Jisung restocks the pantry almost every weekend. Your boyfriend who’s simultaneously the coolest, nicest, nerdiest guy you’ve ever met. Your boyfriend who’s just  _ the one _ for you. 

He decides the second brain cell is right- he doesn’t even think about hearing the others- and says, “That might explain why I’m absolutely crazy for you then,”

That elicits a laugh from the older boy that makes everything so worth it, Jeno thinks. Renjun doesn’t turn around but rather turns his neck and smiles up at Jeno, “You’re so stupid, oh my god.”

_ Let me hear that laugh again, _ “Stupid for you,”

_ Success _ . “Stop it, it’s cheesy,”

It is cheesy. It’s maybe the cheesiest thing Jeno’s ever said to him (while sober at least) but if it could make Renjun laugh, Jeno would do it over and over again.

Renjun places his head on Jeno’s shoulder and they stay like that- swaying to some off beat music in each other's heads, mindlessly ignoring Chenle’s screams of victory from the other room. Finally, Renjun turns his body around so that they were facing each other now, and Jeno swears he could stay like this forever. Just looking at the beautiful love of his life. Their lips touch, the kiss chaste and sweet. Renjun’s lips make their way behind Jeno’s ear, his cheek, his jaw and lastly his neck, before landing on Jeno’s lips again, this time longer.

The older boy whispers right on Jeno’s lips, the younger so entranced in the fantasy he was in that he almost misses what Renjun just said.  _ Hm _ ?, he asks. “Please pour cereal before milk starting tomorrow,”

“And if I don’t?”

Renjun giggles. “I can’t guarantee I won’t turn into a monster,”

“Ooh, a monster, huh?” Jeno pulls away and wiggles his brows, which earns him a light hit on the chest. “I don’t know babe, I think I’d find it hot if you  _ were _ a little more aggressive,”

“Oh my god, gross,” It makes Jeno laugh too. “I hate you.”

He knows Renjun doesn’t mean it. In that he actually means the complete opposite, so Jeno says it for him. “ _ I love you, _ ”

For the both of them, actually.

“What?” Renjun’s eyes that were previously closed are now wide open, blinking up at the younger boy with less doubt and skepticism but more on, just pure love. And shock. “Jeno… you’ve never said it before.”

“Really?” I know. “Well, I do. I love you, Renjun,” They stay like that, smiling at each other like fools. If Chenle walked in right now he would yell at them, asking if they didn’t have the decency to move to Renjun’s room. It makes Jeno laugh a bit, and he realizes it’s been silent for about a minute now. The silence after he just said  _ I love you, Renjun,  _ isn’t really pleasant and he wonders what kind of words people with the best ice breakers would pull out of their sleeves in situations like these, but he ultimately decides reassurance is the best thing to offer right now. “You don’t have to say it back-”

Renjun cuts him off, opening his eyes, hugging Jeno tighter. Squeezing him into a hug so tight he almost couldn’t be hurt by Renjun’s next words. “I know.”

**Author's Note:**

> hello it's 2:21 am thank u for reading this eheheheh


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